WFD Transitional and Coastal Water Bodies Cycle 4 Classification 2025 (Full Resolution)
type: Dataset
description: This is a polygon dataset showing Water Framework Directive (WFD) Transitional (Estuary) and Coastal Water Bodies. This dataset provides attribution on the 2025 classification results, as well as other relevant information and data about each transitional and coastal water body. It comprises both the transitional and the coastal water bodies used for the WFD. Article 2, clause 6 of the WFD defines transitional water bodies as ‘…bodies of surface water in the vicinity of river mouths which are partly saline in character as a result of their proximity to coastal waters but are substantially influenced by freshwater flows’. They are also referred to as estuaries. Transitional water bodies were defined from Mean High Water boundaries, taken directly from OS OpenMap - Local data, and Environment Agency estuarine boundaries defined for the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). Article 2, clause 7 of the WFD defines coastal water bodies as ‘…a surface water on the landward side of a line, every point of which is at a distance of one nautical mile on the seaward side from the nearest point of the baseline from which the breadth of territorial waters is measured, extending where appropriate up to the outer limit of transitional waters’. Coastal waters were defined by territorial waters 1 nautical mile from the Mean High Water coastline taken directly from OS OpenMap - Local data. The boundary between coastal and estuarine waters was delineated using the Environment Agency defined transitional water bodies. Water bodies are also split and assigned to River Basin Districts. There is a layer file associated with this dataset. The layer file is called WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Ecological_Class.lyrx. The layer file displays the ecological status or potential for each transitional and coastal water body. Please note that there are limitations with the shapefile format of the data. The data applies to Cycle 4 of the WFD. Attribut…
keyword: Cycle 4
keyword: Hydrography
keyword: WFD
keyword: coastal water bodies
keyword: environment
keyword: surface water management
keyword: transitional water bodies
issued: 2026-08-07T08:59:31.389922
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.354333
spatial: Location
  geometry: {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[1.76370560966352, 49.8647926358421], [-6.41866722959945, 49.8647926358421], [-6.41866722959945, 55.8111151497005], [1.76370560966352, 55.8111151497005], [1.76370560966352, 49.8647926358421]]]}

Environment Agency
type: Organization

Notes on Attribution for Surface Water Datasets July 2026.docx
type: Distribution
description: Notes on Attribution for Surface Water Datasets July 2026.docx download on Defra Data Services Platform
media type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
format: DOCX
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440878
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362142

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025.csv
type: Distribution
description: WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025.csv download on Defra Data Services Platform
media type: text/csv
format: CSV
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440880
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362219

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Ecological_Class.lyrx
type: Distribution
description: WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Ecological_Class.lyrx download on Defra Data Services Platform
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440881
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362272

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Full_Resolution.gdb.zip
type: Distribution
description: WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Full_Resolution.gdb.zip download on Defra Data Services Platform
media type: application/zip
format: ZIP
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440882
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362322

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Full_Resolution.geojson.zip
type: Distribution
description: WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Full_Resolution.geojson.zip download on Defra Data Services Platform
media type: application/zip
format: ZIP
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440883
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362366

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Full_Resolution.gpkg.zip
type: Distribution
description: WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Full_Resolution.gpkg.zip download on Defra Data Services Platform
media type: application/zip
format: ZIP
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440883
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362409

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Full_Resolution.shp.zip
type: Distribution
description: WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Full_Resolution.shp.zip download on Defra Data Services Platform
media type: application/zip
format: ZIP
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/api/file/download
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440884
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362450

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_Download
type: Distribution
description: Download data by area of interest
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/explore/8239b71a-7569-4ddc-8d76-ccd35432df86
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440885
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362488

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_WMS
type: Distribution
description: WFD transitional and coastal water bodies cycle 4 classification 2025 - WMS
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/spatialdata/wfd-transitional-and-coastal-water-bodies-cycle-4-classification-2025/wms
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440886
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362527

WFD_Transitional_and_Coastal_Water_Bodies_Cycle_4_Classification_2025_WFS
type: Distribution
description: WFD transitional and coastal water bodies cycle 4 classification 2025 - WFS
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/spatialdata/wfd-transitional-and-coastal-water-bodies-cycle-4-classification-2025/wfs
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440886
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362565

OGC API - Features service
type: Distribution
description: OGC API - Features service
access URL: https://environment.data.gov.uk/spatialdata/wfd-transitional-and-coastal-water-bodies-cycle-4-classification-2025/ogc/features/v1
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440887
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362602

Explore the Environment Agency's Water Hub
type: Distribution
description: Explore the Environment Agency's Water Hub
access URL: https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/understanding-englands-water-environment
issued: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.440888
modified: 2026-08-27T15:32:31.362641